Recruiters' Most Pressing Questions on Data Explained

A couple of weeks ago we hosted the webinar Recruitment Data and How to Use it Explained where Tristan de Kooker, one of VONQ’s recruitment marketing experts, presented examples on how to collect and interpret data to improve your recruitment efforts. The 2nd half of the webinar we dedicated to Q&A and here are the various advice the presenter himself gave recruiters to tackle the most pressing recruitment challenges.

Q 1: You explained what conversion data is, but you didn't mention anything about measuring the quality of hire. Isn't that just as important and how would you advise us to do that?

Tristan: First of all, it is key to avoid setting very stringent requirements on hire quality before you get candidates to apply on your job, as this might result in filtering out too many candidates in the early stages. Instead, it is important to define what a high quality hire means for you (Does it aso involve soft skills and culture fit?) and focus on applying techniques to improve your chance of getting higher quality candidates.

There are a number of ways to improve your chances of getting high quality candidate before you hire them, such as:

Q 2: You are advising on using different type of content depending on the recruitment process stage. But how do I decide what type of images, banners, and videos to use?

Tristan: I’d say there are some ground rules here. In the upcoming months, we will be hosting another webinar with the goal to dive deeper into this topic. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us for a free advice. Our recruitment marketing specialists have industry-wide expertise which helps them prepare a tailor-made advice for your recruitment challenge.

But, basically, it’s all about A/B testing and generating valuable data. For instance, try A/B testing with two different images or messages, analyse the results and repeat the process by implementing slight tweaks until you start generating the results you are satisfied with. And again, to get insights into what works for you I couldn’t stress this enough – you need to track impressions, views and clicks very carefully.

Q 3: You’ve mentioned that one needs to collect data in order to reduce the candidate drop out rate during the application process? I'd like to know more about the type of data I need to collect and how to do that.

Tristan: Tracking how many and when exactly people abandon the online application process before they fill in all the necessary data is key. It is a strong indicator on how effective your application form is. Do you need to reduce the required steps?; Are you asking for one too many documents for applicants to submit?. Carefully reviewing these and applying the necessary changes can have an instant boost effect on the number of applicants you get. Having a link leading to a dedicated landing page on your job vacancy is also important as it reduces the steps a potential candidate needs to take before they decide to apply.

“Tracking how many and when exactly people abandon the online application process before they fill in all the necessary data is key! “

Q 4: Currently, it is our marketing team that handles all our social media presence and does the data measuring. Our recruitment department isn't involved in this process. How to handle the transfer of data insights between the marketing and the recruitment department?

Tristan: We see this a lot. You need to either find a way to work together on a regular basis, or do some social media management internally at the recruitment department, too.

In the latter case, you’d avoid the risk of mixing up online data resulting from people interested in your products and services, and the data you need to collect for recruitment purposes. What’s relevant for recruitment is focusing on interpreting data from social media channels, accounts within online communities and landing pages created specifically for recruitment purposes. I specifically advise on this one every time, as it is the best way to take the gut feeling out of the decision making in recruitment.

To listen to the Recruitment Data and How to Use it Explained webinar again, click on the button below: